Lightning-rod.



No. 636,081. Patented Oct. 3|, |899. H. J. STUART D. D. WOODMAN.

LIGHTNING ROD.

(Application led May 25, 1899,)

2 Sheets-Sheet l,

(No Model.)

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No. s3s,oa|. Patented om. 3|, |899. H. .1. STUART & n. n. woonMAN.

LIGHTNING ROD.

(Application filed May 25, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2` (No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT @erica IIARRY J. STUART AND DAVID D. VVOODMAN, OF SVAIN, NEV -YORK.

LIGHTNING-ROD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent NO. 636,081, dated October 31, 1899.

l Application filed May 25, 1899. Serial No. 718,191. (No model.)

T0 @ZZ whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, HARRY J. STUART and DAVID D. WooDMAN, citizens of the United States, residing at Swain, in the county of Allegany and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Lightning Rods or Conductors, of which the following is a specilication.

Our invention relates to lightning rods or conductors; and its object is to provide means whereby an electric current is made to pass therethrough, which is alternately made and broken, thus rendering the rod or conductor more sensitive to the effects of lightning.

It is also an object to provide an improved circuit-breaker which is operated by windpower, so as to make and break the circuit and cause an intermittent current to pass through the rod or conductor.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view showing a portion of a house or other building provided with our improvements. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, on an enlarged scale, of mechanism for making and breaking the circuit. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line 0c in, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail view of the plug.

In the said drawings the reference-numeral 1 designates a house or other building. Located on the roof of the building is a casing or housing 2, made of any suitable material and secured to said roof in any manner found convenient or desirable. Located in this casing or housing is a copper or other conducting plate 5, which is secured to the bottom thereof. Stepped in an insulated bearing near the inner end of said plate is a vertical shaft 4L, the upper end of which extends through the upper end of the easing or housing and is journaled in an insulated bearing of a bracket 5. Secured to this shaft outside the casing or housing is a wind-wheel 6, of any suitable construction, by which said shaft is rotated. Secured to said shaft near the lower end is a wheel 7, formed on the upper side, near the edge thereof, with two cams or inclined planes 8. These cams are adapted to be engaged by a lateral pin 9 near the inner end of a lever 10, of copper or other conduct ing material, the rear end of which is pivoted on a conducting-rod 12, secured by means of set-screws 13130 an arch 14 of conducting material, secured to the plate 3.

The numeral 15 designates a contact-pin secured to the under side of the lever and which is adapted to make and break the circuit, as hereinafter described.

The numeral 16 designates a guide-arch for the lever.

The numeral 17 designates a plug of ruhber or other insulating material passing through the said plate 3, and located in a vertical hole therein is a pin 18 of conducting material. The ends of this pin project beyond the ends of said plug and the upper end is adapted to be contacted by the contact-pin 15, secured to the lever. The lower end of this pin 1S is connected with a conductor 19, which passes along the roof of the house or building and is connected with the positive pole of a battery 20, sunk in the ground and located in a copper or other metal receptacle 2l, provided with a cover 23. The battery is provided with an eye or eyes 24 to receive a hooked rod by which itmay be removed from the receptacle for charging or other purposes. The lower part of this conductor 19 is inelosed within a non-conducting or insulated pipe 25.

The numeral 26 designates a binding-post connected with the plate 3, to which is connected a conductor 27, which is carried along the roof and is connected with glass or other insulators secured to the brackets 2S, fixed to the roof. The said conductor is then extended upwardly and connected with a copper cap 29, which is carried by the upper end of a post 30, secured to one of said brackets. Said conductor is then extended downwardly and then horizontally inward to the bracket 28 near the housing or casing and then upwardly to another copper cap 29, carried by another post 39, secured to a bracket 32, secured tothe bracket 5. From this post the conductor is carried to another bracket 28 and from thence to a similar bracket at the opposite end of the roof and is then extended upwardly and connected with another cap 29, carried by another post 30, and thence downwardly to said last-mentioned bracket, and from thence is carried to and connected with IOO the negative pole of the battery. The number of the said posts 30 and caps 29 may be varied, if desired, and more or less be einployed. Vhen only one is used, we prefer to secure it to the casing or housing. Suitable insulators are employed wherever found necessary.

Located outside of the house or building` is a box 34, in which is located a lightning-arrester 85 of any ordinary or suitable construetion, below which is located a switch 36 for cutting out the circuit when not desired, as in clear weather, thus preventing waste of electricity from the battery. A bell 37 is also located in said box and electrically connected with the battery, by means of which it can be ascertained whether or not the battery is working. Said lightning arrester, switch, and bell may be of any suitable construction, and as they in themselves Ytorni no part of our invention and are well known to those skilled in the art to which the invention pertains a detailed description and illustration are not necessary.

The numeral 3S designates the ground-wire from the lightning-arrester, the lower end of which is connected with a ground-plate 3U.

The operation is as follows: The battery is charged and the switch operated to close the circuit. The shaft 4 will now be rotated by the wind-wheel G and through the medium of the wheel 7, cams or inclined planes 8, and pin 9 the lever lO will be alternately raised and lowered, so as to bring the contact-pin 15 in contact with pin 1S and causing an intermittent current of electricity to be passed through the conductors and caps carried by the posts 30. The circuit will be as follows: from positive pole of the battery to conductorl), bell 37, switch 3G, lightning-arrester 35, then to pin 1S, contact-pin l5, lever lO, rod l2, arch lat, v)late 3, binding-post 2G, conductor 27, and caps 29, and then through lightning-arrester back to battery.

From the above it will be seen that an intermittentcurrentofelectricity will be passed through the conductors and caps, rendering the latter more sensitive, whereby lightning will be more readily attracted than it the wires and caps were not charged. ln case the caps are struck by lightning, the latter will be carried to the ground by the lightningarrester, and thus burning out of the switch and bell will be prevented.

Having thus t'ully described our invention, what we claim isl. The combination with a lightning rod or conductor and the battery, of the automatic circ uit-breaker in electrical connection therewith whereby an electric current is intermittently passed through said rod or conductor, substantially as described.

2. The combination with the lightning rod or conductor and the battery, ot' the circuitbreaker operated by wind-power whereby an intermittent current of electricity is caused to be passed through said rod or conductor, substantially as described.

3. The combination with the lightning rod or conductor connected therewith and the battery, of the housing or casing, the conducting-plate located therein, the insulated vcr-` tical shaft, the cam-wheel secured thereto, the lever having a pin adapted to engage with said cam-wheel and provided with a contactpin, the arch and pivot-pin in electrical connection with said plate, the insulated pin passing through said plate with which said contact-pin is adapted to contact, the binding-post, the conductor connected therewith, and electrically connected with the said rod or conductor and the battery, and means for rotating said shat't,substantially as described.

a. The combination with the lightning rod or cond uctor and the battery, of the casing or housing, the conducting-plate located therein, the insulated vertical shaft provided with a wind wheel at ils upper end, the camwheel, the lever having a pin adapted to engage with said cam-wheel and provided with a contact-pin, the arch, the pivot-pin connected therewith, the insulated pin passing through said cond noting-plate, the conductor connected therewith and with the battery, the binding-post, the conductor connected therewith and with the lightning rod or conductor and the battery,substantially as described.

5. The combination with the lightning rod or conductor and the battery, ot' the casing or housing, a conducting-plate located therein, the vertical insulated shaft having a windwheel at the upper end, the 'cam-wheel near the lower end, the lever having a pin adapted to engage with said cam-wheel and provided with a contact-pin, the arch connected with said conducting-plate, the pivot-pin, the insulated pin passing through said conductingplate, the conductor connected therewith and with the battery, the binding-post, the conductor connected therewith and with the lightning rod or conductor and the battery, and the lightning-arrester switch and bell in circuit with said rod and battery, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hands in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HARRY J. STUART. DAVID D. XVOODMAN.

Witnesses:

F. J. NnLsoN, C. W. Srnvnns.

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